Tucker Foley's Complete Guide to Girls
by pinkconchshell
Summary: Tucker Foley's complete Guide to Girls For the Clueless. When Sam gets a new best friend, she starts acting...different. Almost like a girl. Danny has no idea what's going on, and Tucker steps in with some in-depth advice on girls. Rated T. DxS pairing.
1. Intro and Sneak Peek

Tucker Foley's Complete Guide to Girls for the Clueless

Yaaay another Danny/Sam story! Sorry, a plot bunny attacked me in the shower, and now I can't get it out of my mind. This will (hopefully) be me first multi-chapter story, and it will (hopefully) be finished before I start high school in September. I'm warning you now, though, I may or may not finish it because I have to write a teen witness thing on the Eucharist for my church. So, yeah, anyway, review if you want more, I guess.

Here's a sneak preview, tell me if you like it!

Danny slammed the door to his bedroom, fuming. He dropped his backpack on the floor and kicked it towards the opposite wall, then threw himself onto his bed. He screamed into his pillow.

Tucker, who had walked in with him, just laughed.

Danny's head shot up, and, ignoring Tucker's smirks, turned to face his friend with a furious expression. Tucker steeled himself for venting.

"What does she see in all those guys anyway?" Danny asked him, replaying the entire day in his head.

"Well, from what I can tell, they're scoping out all the best looking guys and flirting with them. Just like what we do with the chicks." Tucker said matter-of-factly.

"But there's a difference in what we used to do!" Danny cried, distressed.

"Used to?" Tucker inquired, but Danny didn't hear him.

"Sam never used to be like that! Never! And then Hannah comes along and the next thing I know she's all talkative and giggly like a-"

"Girl?" Tucker finished for him, and Danny fell silent.

Tucker sighed, feeling that it was time his best friend had and epiphany. "Look, dude, I know how you feel about Sam."

Danny flushed and opened his mouth to retort, but Tucker shushed him.

"Listen to me!" he said. "I'm trying to help you."

Still scarlet in the face, Danny sank back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for Tucker to continue.

"Sam's seventeen now, Danny. It's about time she took an interest in girl stuff, you know? And she's only ever hung out with us guys since the fourth grade. The only other real girl she had was your sister, and who wants to spend all day with her? No offense. From my perspective, Hannah's really done her some good. Sam needs to be with more of her kind, don't you think? Because let's face it, dude, men and women are like an entirely different species."

Danny snorted. "What are you, her mother?" he asked.

"No," Tucker answered, glaring at him now. "I'm her _friend_."

The smirk slid right off Danny's face. Then he sighed.

"You're right," he said finally. "Even if I don't like it, you're right."

"I'm always right." Tucker answered cheerfully, and Danny shot a ghost ray at his hat.

"But Tucker," Danny said quietly, almost whispering. His face was dead serious, and his voice was hoarse, something that happened only when his pain was very emotionally deep. Tucker leaned forward, bending over Danny so that part of his face was covered in shadow. His blue eyes were brighter than usual, and Tucker noted that this was because they were gleaming with water.

"I don't want to be just her friend." Came Danny's hoarse whisper, and he looked away from him.

Poor Danny. He had only wanted to be with Sam ever since what seemed like forever. There wasn't one period of time when he hadn't suspected Danny of nursing deep feelings for her. It must be awful to feel like that about someone, not knowing if they felt the same.

Which, she did, actually, so there really wasn't anything for Danny to cry about.

But Tucker had swore his on his soul to Sam that he wouldn't tell Danny anything about it, so his poor friend had to wallow in misery while she was out there flirting nonstop with every guy in town.

Feeling sorry for him, Tucker patted Danny on the back in a very manly way and said:

"Then make a move, Danny, or else you'll never be with her."

Okay, does anyone know why the reviews on my last two stories won't show up? I really want to read them, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Haha, jk, but seriously, message me if you know what's going on.


	2. New Girl

Chapter One: New Girl

I own nothing. This is the only disclaimer for the whole story.

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**Hi. My name is Tucker Foley, and if you're reading this, then your friends have probably been giving you grief over the girl you like, right? Well, if they have, then you've come to the right place. **

**My best friend, whom we shall dub Romeo for public safety, had really deep feelings for my other best friend, whom we shall dub Juliet, all through high school. The funny part was, though, he was in denial about it the whole time. As was she, but you can read about Juliet in my other book Tucker Foley's Complete Guide to Guys for the Pining. **

**The major obstacle for Romeo was his denial for his feelings. He would always stutter and blush whenever he was accused of liking her. I had to watch as over the years his feelings grew deeper and he wouldn't stop talking about her. I guess the part where everything changed was when the new girl, whom we shall dub Jill, moved to our town. **

**Jill and Juliet were really good friends right off the bat…**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The two boys laughed at her, while she sat, looking disgruntled, with her legs crossed and her arms folded on the brick wall.

"I feel so bad for you," Danny chortled, handing her back the slip of paper he had been examining. She snatched it from him without a word and crumpled it up, tossing it forcefully into a trash can about ten feet away.

"Aww, don't be like that, Sam," Tucker said, trying not to burst into laughter. "At least you get to skip first and second periods today. And who knows, maybe the new girl won't be that bad."

"It's not fair," Sam scowled down at her feet. "Buddy system, my ass. I mean, come on! Who do they think they are, assigning me as the new chick's 'buddy'? I don't care if they give me detention, I'm not going."

"All you have to do is show her around," Danny said soothingly, walking over to join her on the low brick wall. "There's nothing to it, really."

"Yeah, who knows, maybe you two will become friends," Tucker said brightly, adjusting his glasses.

Sam snorted. "Yeah. Right. Like I'm ever going to become friend with-" She furrowed her brow, trying to remember. "Hannah Michelle Reier. Sounds to me like another Paulina (sp?) waiting to happen."

"Don't be judgmental," Danny scolded. She threw him a you're-not-the-boss-of-me look and he sighed. "Look, Sam, you have to promise me that you're not going to give this girl hell just because you don't like her, okay? Just wait until she actually opens her mouth to talk, then you can be as evil as you want to her if it's bad. Tucker," he said, turning towards him. "Back me up on this."

The black kid shrugged.

"Just make sure you don't scare her off before I make a move on her, okay Sam?" he warned, and she rolled her eyes.

The shrill sound of the bell rang, and with a sigh, Sam slid gracefully off the wall and landed with a soft thud on the cement. Danny, who was a bit hyper that morning, due to two glazed doughnuts and a cinnamon roll, stood up, backed away from the edge about eight feet, then began running and jumped off, soaring through the air and landing next to Tucker. He raised both arms in a 'ta-dah' sort of stance.

The ghost of a grin lifted the corners of Sam's mouth, and then she turned around, heading towards the office to go and meet the new student, muttering under her breath to herself the entire time. Tucker turned to Danny, who was absentmindedly watching her walk away.

"It's too bad _I_ didn't get assigned to the new girl," he said mournfully.

"Why would you want to have to be stuck showing some new kid around?" Danny asked, snapping out of his trance and swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Because she sounds hot," Tucker said simply, walking with his friend towards their first period history class.

"You think all girls are hot, Tuck," Danny told him, raising an eyebrow.

"And you don't?" Tucker inquired, sounding appalled.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Girls are overrated," he mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

Tucker smiled knowingly. "Oooh, that's right, I forgot that you've already given your heart to a raven-haired beauty who roams these hallowed Casper halls."

"I told you a hundred times already, Tucker, I'm _over_ Valerie." Danny said forcefully.

"Who said I was talking about Valerie?" Tucker said, waggling his eyebrows. Danny, obviously getting the hint, turned a deep red color that matched Tucker's beret surprisingly well, and didn't say anything else the entire way there.

History seemed to last forever, because really, who cares about World Geography and where all the Philippine Islands are located? Tucker and Danny passed the time by blocking out Lancer's drone and playing stupid games like tic-tac-toe or hangman. When they got bored of this, though, they resorted to passing each other notes.

_What do you think Sam's doing right now?_ Danny wrote, flicking the note onto Tucker's desk.

_Probably harassing the poor new chick. I wonder what she looks like?_ Tucker wrote back.

_I know she's a junior just like us, but that's pretty much it. I didn't see her schedule. _

_Well, she'll have all of Sam's classes, right? I mean, that's why they paired them up._

_Yeah. I guess. When do you think we'll meet up with Sam again?_

_Lunch, probably. Speaking of which, I brought…STEAK!!_

_Who brings steak to school for lunch?_

_Me! Cuz I can! But don't tell Sam, okay? We don't want her to shout at me and make a bad impression on my next girlfriend._

_You mean Hannah?_

_Hannah, Anna, Savannah, Banana, whatever. _

_I'm glad you think so highly of your so called 'girlfriend.'_

_Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. Now hide this, Lancer's watching. _

Danny rendered the note intangible and slipped it into his backpack as Mr. Lancer looked over suspiciously at them. Tucker gave him a thumbs-up.

Tucker's prediction came true when Sam came sauntering up to them during lunch. A girl with dark curly hair was waiting for her near the entrance to the cafeteria, but her face was too far away to make out.

"Hi." She said brightly, then, without waiting for them to answer, she said; "New kids and their buddies are invited to the teacher's lounge for ice-cream on their first day, so I'll see you guys after school okay? Danny, call me if there's an emergency." She gave him a meaningful look, and then walked back to where the girl was. They assumed she was Hannah.

"I guess we were right," Danny said, watching her go. "It turns out she actually likes her."

"Yes! Now, when we meet her, I can make my move." Tucker rejoiced, resisting the urge to punch the air with his fist.

"It's too bad she's not eating lunch with us," Danny said, stabbing his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich with a fork. In an attempt to make peace between his two best friends, he insisted on bringing nothing but this and a bottle of Gatorade for lunch. Sam would nag him whenever he brought meat, and Tucker glared at him when he was caught with anything green. Danny decided this would be easier.

"Cheer up, man," Tucker said, digging into his backpack and retrieving a bulging brown paper bag. "We have Study Hall with Sam next, and then Gym, so there's nothing to sulk about."

Danny brightened. "You're right." He said, and happily bit into his sandwich.

They spent the rest of the lunch hour debating on which one was better: steak or ham. It's the kind of useless thing guys talk about when they're not busy ogling girls.

The bell rang soon, and they chatted all the way back into the school. Their study hall was in the library today, like it always was on Tuesdays, and when Danny saw the back of Sam's head, he zoomed over to her and pulled up a chair next to her so fast that you barely had time to blink. Tucker chuckled to himself.

"Hey Sam," Danny was saying when Tucker joined them. "Tucker kept asking me what I thought you were up to."

Tucker rolled his eyes.

"Did he really?" Sam said distractedly. "Cool. Danny, Tucker, this is Hannah, the new girl. She's from California."

"Ah, a beach bunny," Tucker said, turning towards said girl. She laughed.

"How'd you know?" Hannah grinned.

She seemed friendly enough. She had dark, curly hair, and light hazel brown eyes, which were large and almond shaped. Her skin was olive-toned, with full lips and a small chin, and she looked very petite, even when sitting down. Her shirt and shorts were both black, but with large, colorful graphics and lots of pins and chains. The style was not as gothic as Sam's, more like a punk-rock sort of thing.

"He's just smooth talking you," Danny remarked, and Sam laughed. Tucker turned pink.

"Are you Asian?" Tucker asked bluntly. Danny smacked him, and Sam said "Tucker!"

"Sorry," he muttered, looking down.

Hannah didn't seem to mind. "It's okay; I get a lot of that. Actually, I'm mixed. My mother's Latina and my dad is Pilipino and Caucasian. At my old school, nobody could ever insult me by my ethnicity, because they could never figure out what I was."

"She's lucky, huh?" Sam said happily, and the two girls giggled.

"So, Sam, you wanna come over with me to Tucker's house after school? You can bring Hannah with you," he added kindly, not wanting to be rude to someone he just met.

"Sorry, Hannah and I are going to the mall after school." Sam said, and Danny's face fell. Tucker suppressed a smile, but Hannah looked at him thoughtfully.

"You're going to the mall?" Tucker asked, astounded.

"Yeah," she said happily. "Hannah wanted to show me some cool gothic thrift stores she saw, and in return I'd buy her a new outfit from Hot Topic."

She and Hannah beamed at each other.

"Oh, okay then. I'll just call you," Danny said, sounding slightly dejected, and running a hand through his hair.

"Hey, come on, its better she's not coming; now we can play Rain Forest Demolition III without her nagging us."

Sam opened her mouth to speak, but Hannah cut her off. "Rain Forest Demolition? Three? But that's the one where you have to destroy all the rain forests in South America _and_ kill all the animals that get in your way!"

"What's wrong with that?" Tucker asked, frowning.

"Well, doesn't it seem kind of cruel to you?" Hannah said incredulously, Sam nodded earnestly.

Tucker shrugged. "It's just a game," he said, feeling suddenly ashamed.

After that, they couldn't talk anymore because the librarian had come over to shush them, and they wanted to avoid detention as much as possible. The four headed to Gym, the original trio trying to learn more about Hannah with small talk and questions about her life in California.

"Well, I lived in a coastal city," she said in response to Danny's inquiry. "And you know that show about Laguna Hills? Well it was really close to there, about twenty-five miles away. And since I was on the track team, they made us run to the beach and back for practice. It sucked, but at least I don't jiggle anymore." She giggled. "It was a really small city, and there were limos everywhere you turned."

"Sam owns about five," Danny said proudly, and Sam flushed.

"Oh yeah, you told me that you were the heiress to toothpicks or something," Hannah smiled at her, and Sam rolled her eyes.

"Something like that. I forget." She grinned sheepishly.

Danny's smile faded. It had taken Sam six years to tell him, and Tucker, that she was loaded, and she told this Hannah girl the first day they met? For some reason, this bothered him, and he was silent the whole way to the gym.

The torture for that day was dodge ball. Sam and Tucker were on a different team than Danny and Hannah, so they said goodbye grouchily at the middle of the court. Danny could see Sam and Tucker fighting over a ball in the far corner of the bounds. Tucker was trying to tug it out of her grip and Sam was pounding his head with her fist. He smiled.

"So you like her, then?" Came Hannah's voice, sounding smug, and he whirled around, flushing bright red.

"Huh?" Was all he could manage. Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Sam. You like her. A lot. I've only known you for an hour and a half and I can already tell."

"I don't like her!" Danny cried in a squeaky voice as he dodged the first ball.

"Sounds like denial to me," Hannah smirked as she sidestepped a shot from Kwan.

"Well, I – I mean – of course I _like_ her, she's my best friend." Danny retorted, still very pink in the face.

"I _mean,_ like her, like her. Like romantic liking. Crushing. You have a crush on her." She tried her best not to add "Duh."

"It's more than a crush," Danny mumbled, and when he realized he'd said that out loud, he flushed a deep crimson and said, "Wait! No, I – I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Hannah said, flashing him a smile. "I won't tell her. You can do that."

Not altogether reassured, Danny caught a ball at his chest and heaved it at Nathan, knocking the poor geek over.

Suddenly, a cloud of blue breath streamed out of his mouth, and he signaled time out to the gym teacher. Panicking, he ran over to her, ignoring Hannah's inquisitive stare. Tucker and Sam edged themselves near the front towards where he stood, worried looks on their faces.

"What is it, Mr. Fenton?" She asked irritably, placing her enormous hands on her towering hips.

"I – uh, have to use the bathroom." Danny said lamely, and the whole class groaned.

"Go on, then, and empty your tiny bladder. But hurry up, got it?"

He nodded, and charged towards the locker rooms, flashed blue around the waist, and the next thing you know Danny Phantom had flown intangible out the roof of the building.

What he didn't know was that after he left, the gym teacher beckoned Hannah over to her and said, "Ms. Reier, since the game is currently on hold, could you do me a favor?" She handed her a set of keys.

"Go into the girl's locker room and take out all the clothes from the washing machine. Then, go to the boy's locker room next door and put them in the dryer. I'll give you five extra credit points, since it is your first day here."

"Sure," Hannah said cheerfully, and walked towards the locker rooms, happily swinging the keys around in circles. Sam and Tucker exchanged panicked glances.

Right above the gym, Vlad was telling Danny that he was in the area and decided to pay his favorite archenemy a visit.

"Well, come back when I'm not in school!" Danny yelled, blasting Vlad with a particularly painful ghost ray.

"Oh, that's right, my tax dollars at work on your pubescent little mind," Vlad sneered, shooting back at Danny and hitting him square in the chest. "Very well, then, I'll just wait for you at your home, after all, I've just been _dying_ to see your mother again."

He laughed evilly and flew off, sending one more blast at Danny over his shoulder. Danny dodged it and flew back down, phasing through the roof and landing with a thud in the middle of the boy's locker room. He changed back quickly, bathing the entire room in bright blue light, and then walked out with his hands in his pockets, whistling.

Hannah, who had was watching from the window of the gym teacher's office, let the basket of clean clothes tumble from her arms.


	3. Friday Night

Chapter Two: Friday Night

Only seven reviews!? Come on, people, work with me here! I swear it's gonna get better, okay, so just read this and quit making me feel bad. Ha-ha I had meatballs for lunch, which always make me hyper for some reason. Oh, and my best friend saw All Time Low at Universal Studios and won't get me their autograph! It's not fair! Life's not fair! The fact that I don't have a boyfriend is also not fair! Why me? WHY!?

Okay, I'm done, so read this and review if you like it. I'm finishing it no matter what, so flame it, love it, favorite it, whatever floats your boat.

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**Now that you've finished the first section of my book, let's review: I was telling the story of my close friends Romeo and Juliet, and how the denial was the biggest obstacle in their whole relationship. Of course, Jill came along, but whether she complicated or helped things for Romeo I'm still not sure of. **

**Last chapter, we discussed acknowledging your feelings and getting past your denial. That's the first step, as I said before. The ladies, they think clueless guys (like you were) are adorably cute, but they tend to infuriate when said clueless person is the object of their affection. Just look at Juliet. The next section is dedicated to something kind of touchy, but don't worry, everybody goes through it.**

**Jealousy, Pt I…**

"Who's that?" Hannah nodded at the plasma TV screen on top of Sam's dresser, which was turned to the news channel and showing a clip of Danny Phantom's latest triumph over the Box Ghost.

"Hmm?" asked Sam, who was making her bed. After the girls' sleepover last night, the room looked as though it had been hit by a tornado.

"That kid on TV, the glowing one with the white hair. I've seen him a few times ever since I moved here."

Sam turned to look at the (52 inch) screen. "Oh, that's Danny."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Danny?"

"Danny Phantom," Sam said quickly, trying to cover up her tracks. "He's like, the local town superhero, saves us from ghosts all the time."

"Ghosts?" Hannah said, shocked. "Like, spirits?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, ghosts. Danny Phantom's a ghost too, only he's not evil like all the others because he's half human."

"Does that mean he's half dead?" asked Hannah thoughtfully.

Sam frowned. "Huh. Well, yeah, I guess. I never really thought about it."

The two girls were silent for a few moments, and then Hannah broke the silence. "So what's his real name?"

Sam's heart almost stopped. "Huh?" She said stupidly, turning around to gape at her friend.

"Well you said he was half human, and Danny Phantom's not a real name. Does he have like some secret alter-ego or something?"

Nervous now, Sam rubbed the back of her neck and avoided Hannah's eyes.

"Nobody knows who he really is," She said finally. "His secret identity is a mystery."

"Do you know him?" Hannah pressed.

Panicking now, but not about to blow her cover, Sam said smoothly, "I told you, he's the local superhero. Everybody knows him."

"I mean personally. Like, are you friends with him?"

Sam stared. She couldn't possibly know Danny's secret already, could she? Hannah had only been attending Casper High for four days. Admittedly, the four had been spending quite a bit of time together, but there hadn't been any trouble with ghosts until last night on Thursday, when Danny had texted Sam to warn her about the Box Ghost. Even then, though, the fight had been in the park, about halfway across the city, and Sam and Hannah were busy having a sleepover, painting their nails black and trying to prank call the President.

"We've met," Sam said carefully, and Hannah gave her a look, as though trying to see right through her, but then shrugged and turned her attention back to the TV. Relived, Sam went to her mini-fridge and grabbed a can of Diet Cola. She took a sip.

"He's cute," Hannah said suddenly, and Sam almost spit out her drink. She ended up choking silently, fighting back the fit of rage she felt. Blushing, because Hannah was giving her a weird look, she finished her soda and grabbed her backpack.

"Come on," She told Hannah, leading her down the stairs and out the front door. "We have to hurry, or we'll be late for school."

"We're not walking, are we?" Hannah whined as they reached the sidewalk, and Sam chuckled.

"No," she said, falling back behind her. "Just you."

Sam took a running jump and landed on Hannah's back in a piggy-back position. Hannah screamed, and staggered up to the end of the block with Sam clinging to her neck, where they collapsed under the stop sign and burst into a fit of giggles.

"Get OFF me!" Hannah yelled finally, elbowing Sam in the ribs. The two girls lay there, laughing, until a shadow passed over their faces, blocking out the sun.

"Hello, ladies," came a familiar voice, and Sam and Hannah looked up simultaneously.

"Hi, Tucker." The said at the same time, and both of them stretched out their hands. Tucker grasped one in each of his, and heaved them to their feet

"Where's Danny?" asked Sam, brushing some dust off her blouse. Hannah threw her a look.

"Oh, he's…busy." Tucker said, meeting Sam's eyes, and the two reached a mutual understanding. Danny was getting in a morning workout before school.

As if on cue, Skulker soared over their heads, screaming, "You've extinguished my hair, you whelp! I'll have no such behavior from a future throw rug!"

"What makes you so confident I'll be a rug?" Taunted Danny, flying over to Skulker and blasting him full in the face. "What if you change your mind and I become a pelt on your wall, or a toilet-seat cover?"

Outraged, Skulker shot a net out at Danny. It wrapped around his slim but muscular frame and he pelted towards the ground, landing about two feet away from Sam, Hannah, and Tucker."

"Hi!" Danny said brightly, and phased out of the net. Hannah looked as though her eyes might pop out of her head.

"Where'd he go?!" She cried, gesturing towards the empty net. "He was just there a second ago!"

"Relax, Hannah," Sam said soothingly. "He turned intangible – I think it's a ghost power. They can all do it."

She said it as casually as she possibly could, but she could tell that Hannah was a still bit disturbed.

"See, there he is!" Sam said, putting a hand on her shoulder and pointing a finger up at the sky to where Danny was sitting on Skulker's head, ripping out a bunch of important-looking pieces of machinery. They watched for a little bit, as Danny and Skulker fought and bantered back and forth, but eventually Danny grew tired and he drew out the Fenton thermos. He sucked Skulker back into it, and then floated down towards the ground, landing next to Tucker.

"Uh," he said, realizing that Hannah was with them, and gazing at him wide eyed. Sam gave him a look and mouthed something. Panicking slightly, he ran his fingers through his hair and laughed nervously.

"Do me a favor and don't do that at home, kids," Danny said, stepping back and preparing to fly off. "And stay in school!" He called, waving pompously at them over his shoulder as he soared towards Casper High.

"Why do you think he's going to the school?" Hannah asked, staring after him, amazed.

Sam swore. Tucker looked up at her, alarmed. "We're gonna be late, there's two minutes until the bell rings!"

They all stared wide-eyed at each other, and then took off, zooming off to their school a speed that would make Road Runner proud. When they arrived, (in record time, I might add) there was fourteen seconds left until the start of homeroom, and they all skidded to a halt in front of Danny, who was waiting for them by his locker. He raised his eyebrows at his friends, two of whom where doubled over, panting, and one who was laying on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Good morning," he said to them as the bell rang, and started heading to his homeroom, staring at them curiously as he walked away.

"Wait!" Tucker panted, and he heaved himself off of the ground and staggered over to his best friend, leaning on him when he got there.

Sam and Hannah, whose homeroom was right across from them, wordlessly glanced at each other, and sighed, taking heavy steps towards the door to their classroom. They managed to drag themselves into their seats right as the late bell rang, and the teacher glared at them but didn't say anything.

All four teens had Foreign Language next, (which happened to be French) and their teacher didn't speak English, so their note-passing wasn't done in fear.

_Are we still on for tonight? _Danny wrote to Sam.

_I'm good, since my parents are going out. _She scribbled back.

_Cool, what about Tucker?_

_He said he wanted to ask Hannah out today, so if he does then he's probably coming too._

_Hannah's coming?_

_Yeah, why wouldn't she?_

_Well, it's just the way she looks at me. It makes me nervous. _

_Wait, you _like _her?! _Sam's pencil tip almost broke with the strain she was putting on it as she wrote.

_No! No, it's not like that. I mean she looks at me like she's…well, not scared of me, but kind of like I'm going to jump out and scare her any second. _

_Hmm. That's weird. I'll ask her about it. _

The bell rang signaling the start of lunch, and since they were now juniors, they decided to head over to the Nasty Burger to eat. Tucker, Sam and Danny made their way over to their usual booth near the back, while Hannah went to go and order. Tucker was hyperventilating.

"Tuck, just do it. She told me she likes you anyway," Sam lied through her teeth, trying to support her friend.

"Yeah, come on, she's just a girl, you've asked plenty of those out before, remember?" Danny chuckled, grinning at the memory.

"She's not just a girl, okay? I really like her. I get butterflies when she talks to me and it's hard to form sentences around her." Tucker was turning paler by the second.

"Aww, Tucker's got a crush on the girl," cooed Sam, leaning across the table to make mock goo goo eyes at him "Tucker likes the big, bad, scary giiiiiirrrrrllllllll-"

"Shut up Sam," Tucker said angrily. "Just because _your_ crush likes you back doesn't mean-"

"Woah, whoah, whoah," Danny interrupted, slamming his hands down on the table."Wait a minute. Sam, you have a crush?"

Sam flushed, which Danny took as confirmation. He sulked until Hannah came bouncing over to them, sloshing the drinks a little bit."

"What's with you?" Sam asked her, grinning at the way Hannah's eyes were bulging with excitement.

"See those guys over there?" She whispered loudly, bending down so that she could speak into Sam's ear. Tucker and Danny could hear her anyway.

"Yeah," Sam said uncertainly, looking over her shoulder at the boys two booths behind them. They were all blonde.

"They're talking about you!" Squealed Hannah, practically bouncing off the walls. Danny's eyes narrowed. Tucker noticed this and laughed.

"Really?" Sam asked, sounding interested now. Hannah nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, they kept saying how hot you were and how people can never find a good-looking goth like you!"

"Oh, my God!" Sam squeaked, and, holding hands, the two girls went "eeeeeeeepp!" and began bouncing up and down. Then they regained their composure and Sam smoothed her hair out. She got up and tapped her teeth, looking at Hannah meaningfully. Hannah nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, and Sam smiled, then began strolling leisurely over towards the table where all the blonde boys sat. Grinning, Hannah joined the two boys at their table, watching Sam swing her hips gracefully as she walked towards them.

"Taught her everything she knows," She told Tucker proudly. He turned pink. "Pretty good, eh, Danny?"

Danny had sunk so low into his seat that the tip of his nose was level with the edge of the table. He merely grunted in response. Hannah gave him a weird look, then her face softened.

"Oho," She said, smirking down at him. "I smell a green-eyed monster."

Whether she meant this literally or figuratively, even I'm not sure of, and I'm the author.

"I'm sorry, Danny, I forgot you liked her." Hannah apologized, sounding sincere.

"I DO NOT LIKE HER!" Danny said furiously, blushing crimson as he sunk down lower into his seat.

Hannah rolled her eyes at Tucker and said in a low voice, "Denial."

Tucker gave a high-pitched, manic laugh. Hannah raised an eyebrow at him. He giggled nervously and sunk down into his seat, joining Danny at his level.

When Sam was done flirting with the blonde headed baboons, as Danny called them in his head, the rest of the group had already finished their meals and were waiting for her near the entrance. They watched as she walked with one foot directly in front of the other, swinging her hips and letting her hair dangle down her back. Hannah looked delighted, Tucker looked amused, and Danny looked jealously adorable.

"Let's go back to school," Danny muttered, and they walked across the street together, Tucker with Danny and Sam with Hannah. The two girls were ahead of them, chatting animatedly, while Danny hung his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, scowling at the ground. Tucker just chuckled to himself, thoroughly enjoying his friend's pain. (In a good way!)

The rest of the day passed without event, and when the bell finally rung at three o' clock, all four were a lot more enthusiastic about their night out. Going to the movies was typical of all teenagers in the area, and it was just what they needed after a long week of stress.

Sam and Hannah would be going over to Tucker's house, and from there Mrs. Foley would drive them to the movies. Danny was to meet them there at eight thirty-ish, and pay for his and Tucker's tickets. Tucker and Hannah were buying the popcorn, and Sam was getting everybody drinks and a candy. The four had planned to see a time warp movie, but when they got there they realized the new Spongebob movie was playing. Time warp was outvoted.

They sat down next to some older-looking men, perhaps in their late teens, early twenties. The men immediately fell silent, and then broke out in whispers, filling the air around them with hushed voices. This time, it was Sam who pointed out that they were discussing Hannah and her.

"Hey," one of them said a few minutes later in a friendly voice. He smelled like alcohol. "You know, my buddies and I think you two girls are pretty cute."

Sam and Hannah broke into a nervous fit of giggles, and Danny's fist clenched. For a moment, he seriously debated on whether or not to shoot them here and now in front of all these watching people, but Tucker might have sensed that because he whispered, "Don't," and Danny's raised hand lowered.

"How old are you, ladies?" A different guy asked the question this time, and Hannah said confidently, "Sixteen. And counting."

Suddenly, the smiles on their faces grew wider. "Oh, really?" The first guy asked, sounding very interested.

"Yeah," Sam replied, not sounding to certain anymore. "We're in high school."

"Oh, which school do you go too?" A new voice asked. Furious, and before either Sam or Hannah could answer, Danny snatched Sam around the waist and pulled her onto his knee. He grabbed Hannah's wrist and swung her easily into Tucker's lap, earning and "Oomph!" from the both of them.

"Honey," Danny whimpered in a false, needy voice. "You said you'd sit with _me_ on our date tonight."

The men next to them eyed him suspiciously, and then turned their attention back to the movie, no longer interested in what Sam and Hannah had to say. They did not look over at them for the rest of the movie.

It took Danny a few seconds to recognize that prickling feeling on the back of his neck. He turned his head slightly, to see Hannah staring at him from Tucker's lap.

"What?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, nothing," Hannah shrugged, quickly focusing her gaze on the enormous screen. "It's just – I thought, for a second, that I saw your eyes glow green. Literally." She laughed nervously. " I guess I'm seeing things, then, huh?"

Danny laughed with her, though there was and edge of hysteria to his laugh. He turned his attention back to the screen as well, only to find Sam's face inches from his. All his worries vanished.

"Thank you," She said quietly, then shyly pressed her lips to his cheek and slid out of his lap. The place where she'd kissed him burned, and Danny found himself unable to focus on anything else for the entire movie.

Okay, I hope you liked it, because I won't be able to update for a while. I have to focus on another writing project I got myself into, a teen witness on the Eucharist for my church. So, wah. Sorry. But, you know, it's Jesus, I'm not gonna turn Him down. He might smite me. XD

You're pretty, and sexy, and extremely hot and I would die to be able to marry you! If it were legal, and you gave me the ring. Lol, jk! ^^ Now, review.


	4. Epiphany

Chapter Three: Epiphany

Ten? That's it? That's all I get? For all my hard work and long hours typing, all I get is ten reviews?! Thank you! I'm just kidding, I love your reviews, they make me feel all warm inside.  Now if only you people could show this kind of awsomeness to al my other stories, because there is some serious lacking of reviews.

On with the story!

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**Now that we have discussed jealousy of other men, we shall discuss jealousy of other women. Yes, that's right, you heard me. There are two kinds of jealousy: Being jealous of the other guys your love interest hangs around with and being jealous of your love interest's friends. Believe me, Romeo was so jealous of Jill in high school, it was almost sad. Mostly amusing, but still quite sad. Juliet went everywhere with Jill, and it was breaking Romeo down. Poor guy, what with all his responsibilities to the city and everything. Now, read this chapter, and then we'll talk about how to get over your jealousy. **

**When You're Jealous of Her Friends…**

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"…how about tomorrow, then?" Danny asked. Sam could practically see him twirling the chord in his hand.

"Sorry, Danny, tomorrow's Wednesday." She said sadly.

"Oh. Right. The protest. Sorry, I forgot." Danny sounded sullen.

"You can come with us if you want," Sam began, but Danny cut her off.

"Us? Let me guess, Hannah's going with you, right?"

"Well, yeah, she's as much as an animal rights activist as I am."

There was a pause in which Danny snorted, and it dawned on Sam that he was keeping something from her.

"What's wrong, Danny?" She asked softly, her tone caring.

"Nothing," Danny answered, sounding strange. "It's just that I thought I was your best friend, not Hannah."

And then he hung up.

Sam listened to the dial tone for a few seconds, completely stunned, and then she gently laid the phone back on the counter, sighing. He had been acting like this a lot lately. Whenever she mentioned Hannah, he'd turn cold and shut everybody out. Depressed now, she went over to the sofa and sunk down into the pillows, putting her hand in her head and thinking.

Tucker hadn't noticed anything strange about Danny, he was too busy pining over Hannah. Hannah might have known what was going on, because when Sam asked her she'd said, "Well, not that I would know, but maybe he just has a lot on his mind right now."

This answer had confused Sam, and she had stared at Hannah inquisitively. Hannah just shook her head and headed off, leaving a very befuddled Sam in her wake.

Sam stared out the window, not really seeing anything. He had never acted like this before. Maybe it was some weird PMS ghost thing? The closest thing to this that Sam could name was jealousy. But Danny wasn't really jealous, was he?

True, Danny had been known to be extremely jealous at times. Like when she was dating Gregor, or when she had gone to the dance with Jake after Danny had canceled on her and shone up with Valerie.

Besides, what was there to be jealous of? It was only Hannah she was going with, nothing wrong with that. True, she had known for a long time about the possibility that he might have more than platonic feelings for her. But Hannah was a girl, unless he thought something else was going on between them. Then that would be extremely revolting.

Sam giggled as she pondered this, then sighed again, this time laying back on her pillows and staring up at the wooden beams in the ceiling.

Her musings were interrupted when the phone rang. It was Hannah.

"Hey," came her voice, sounding excited. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me get my bag," Sam told her, standing up and stretching.

"Okay. I'll be waiting outside in the car."

"Cool."

Sam grabbed her black bag off the kitchen counter. She bit her lip as she looked at it, remembering that it had been a gift from Danny for her sixteenth birthday last January. Her lip trembled as she debated calling him again, but decided against it, figuring that now he was taking his temper out on some poor innocent ghost. Or his sister.

Hannah's car was a small Honda, and it was a silvery-grey color. She was sticking her head out the window, shouting at a man with his dog on a leash. The man was screaming back at her, his face red and using wild hand motions. The dog was yipping in a high, squeaky voice, clawing at the door of Hannah's car, whining.

"GET OFF, YOU STUPID MUTT!" Hannah screamed at it, and the dog pulled back his ears ad growled.

"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF HIM!" The man yelled, picking his dog up and cradling him close to his chest.

"SHUT UP, OLD MAN! GET A CAT!" Hannah screeched back. Sam noticed she had her foot on the gas, and it was twitching.

"Oh, hi Sam." Hannah said brightly, noticing her friend waiting. "Here, get in so we can go."

Sam climbed into the front seat, and Hannah floored it. The old man dove out of the way, and as they turned the corner, they could hear him screaming and shaking his fist at them. Hannah stuck her head out the window again and screeched at him as he ran to keep up with them. Sam giggled.

"You're very respectful to your elders, aren't you?" She said cheerfully. Hannah shrugged.

"I'm PMS-ing. It can't be helped." They laughed, and then Hannah turned up the radio. An All-Time-Low song was playing, and Hannah began to sing along. Sam took advantage of her distraction, and leaned her head against the window, sighing quietly and letting her breath cloud up part of the glass.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Hannah asked, seeing Sam looking sad. She turned the radio off.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. It's just…" she trailed off, looking at Hannah for a second, and then looking down.

"I'm worried about Danny," Sam said finally. Hannah's expression cleared up, although there was still the faintest trace of worry in her hazel eyes.

"What about Danny?" She asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"Well, he's been acting kind of…weird." Sam said slowly, twiddling her thumbs. "Not like he's angry at me, but jealous at me."

"Jealous _at_ you? How can somebody be jealous _at _someone?" Hannah asked, puzzled, but still slightly relieved.

"I knew it. It sounds gay." Sam muttered. "Never mind, just forget it."

"No, tell me!" Hannah cried, taking her gaze off the road for a millisecond. The car swerved, and she refocused, talking to the windshield now but still addressing Sam.

"What do you think he's jealous at, then?" Hannah asked.

"I don't know!" Sam cried, wringing her hands. "But I know it's got something to do with me!"

"I think you're right," Hannah said. "I think he's jealous at you."

"Well could you explain that?"

"You're the one who worded it!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know what I was talking about. Half the time I don't know what I'm talking about."

Hannah threw a glance at her. "You're a queer, you know that?" she said, and Sam rolled her eyes.

"Well, Danny's probably jealous at you because you're spending so much time with _me,_" Hannah told her slowly. Sam's eyes widened.

"So, that would mean that he's jealous of you then," She said thoughtfully, picking at her chin. "But that doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect sense," Hannah said reasonably. "He's jealous of _me_ because I keep hanging out with _you._"

"But-"

"Think, Sam," Hannah said impatiently. "Why on earth would Danny be jealous of me?"

"Because we hang out a lot." Sam said immediately.

"Right. And why would he be mad if you and I kept seeing each other?"

"I don't know, maybe he wants to spend more time with me," Sam said, twirling a strand of her shiny black hair.

"Exactly. Now why do you think he'd want to spend more time with _you_, and not me or Tucker?"

Sam stared at Hannah for a moment, and then her mouth fell open into a silent "Oh."

"Knew you'd get there in the end," Hannah said proudly, as Sam sat stunned in the passenger seat. Her eyes were wide, and she was staring straight ahead. Hannah took one look at her and laughed, momentarily steering into the wrong lane.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, still looking bewildered. "I mean, has he ever-?"

"Damn straight he does, girl!" Hannah grinned at Sam, who's bewilderment was now slowly turning to amazement. "He never shuts up about you, you know. It's always 'Sam this,' and 'Sam that.' In fact, it gets kind of annoying. But it's still really sweet."

"Oh, my God," Sam breathed, a goofy grin spreading over her face. "You're serious? You're not lying to me?"

"Sam, have I ever lied to you?" Hannah scoffed. "Besides, I thought you already knew that he liked you. From what Tucker's told me, you two have even made out a few times."

Sam flushed, and mumbled, "It was fake, okay? We had to cause a distraction."

Hannah frowned. "What on earth was so important that you had to kiss to keep it hidden?"

Sam turned even redder and she ducked her head. Hannah heard her mumbling to herself. _Oh,_ she thought. _That._

The fact that she knew Danny's secret was her secret. Hannah was still unsure of what to do with it. She wasn't planning on telling anybody, although Tucker and Sam seemed to be in on it. Somehow, she got the feeling that Danny begrudged her addition to the group. She liked Danny, he was nice, but he let his feelings for Sam keep him from being open to her and Sam's friendship. Hannah didn't think Danny was going to tell her he was the ghost kid anytime soon. From what she'd heard, he'd saved the town from all kinds of ghosts, from genies to evil plants. Danny sounded like a hero, but she still had to figure out how he'd actually gotten his powers.

"Hannah? You there? Hello?" Sam's voice reached her ears, and she shook her head.

"Sorry, Sam, I spaced out on you." Hannah apologized.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said, chuckling. "I was asking you what I should do now."

"Go out with him," Hannah said at once, like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

They had reached the mall now, and Hannah zoomed over towards a parking space in the corner. The tires screeched, and black skid marks appeared behind them as Hannah she jolted the car to a stop. Momentum thrust both girls forward, and they slammed back into their seats with a grunt.

"Ow," Sam said grouchily. "How did you ever manage to get your driver's license?"

"I hog-tied him and stuffed him in my trunk," Hannah said cheerfully as she unbuckled herself. Sam rolled her eyes.

"I did that to Tucker once," Sam said, remembering. "Because he set me up on a blind date with Danny. I attacked him, gagged him, picked him up and threw him into my trunk. When we got to the field where I was gonna bury him, I found him unconscious."

"You buried him?" Hannah asked incredulously. "Alive?"

"I was never gonna bury him, all I wanted to do was hog-tie him. Just to scare him a bit. It's so fun messing with people."

"I know, right?" Hannah agreed, and they shared giggles.

"But about Danny," Sam said, the goofy grin etching itself back onto her face. "Well, I was gonna ask him out-"

"NO!" Hannah yelled, making Sam jump a little bit.

"But why not?" Sam asked. "I really like him, I might even love him, and you said he likes me too."

"Yes, but you are not going to be the one to make the first move, my friend." Hannah said fiercely. There was so much fire in her eyes that Sam inched away from her gaze a little bit.

"Dammit, Sam, do I have to teach you everything? The girl never makes the first move! You have to make him work for it! Make him beg for it! Torture him, cut him open, eat his heart out, have him kneeling on the floor at your feet screaming for mercy!"

Sam was quite frightened. Hannah had her face right up to hers and she was breathing heavily, her eyes wild.

"Hannah? Are you okay?" Sam asked nervously, poking her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry," Hannah mumbled, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I get these crazy mood swings when I'm on my period. Anyway," she said briskly, sounding much more like her old self. "You have to get _him_ to ask _you_ out."

"Why?"

"BECAUSE!" Hannah yelled. Sam blinked. "It is the natural order of things. It is the Way."

"The Way?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. My big sister told me this in the seventh grade, when I went ga-ga over Mark Chaimers, but that's not the point. The point is that you have to play ice queen until Danny cracks and confesses his feelings. Then you guys will kiss and hug and speak you lover talk, and then he'll sweep you off your feet and fly off into the sunset."

"Yeah," Sam said dreamily, her eyes becoming all misty. Then she snapped back to reality and looked at Hannah, alarmed.

"Did-did you say, 'fly'?" She asked, cautiously studying Hannah's face. Outside, she kept her composure, but inside was a chorus of Hannah's favorite four-lettered word.

"Fly. Ride. Surf. Bounce. Whatever, you name it." Hannah said calmly, busying herself with her purse. "Hey, can I borrow some cash? There's this new Fall Out Boy CD I've had my eye on for a while…"

Sam's heart rate returned to normal, and she wordlessly handed over ten dollars. Thank God – she was getting so paranoid all the time, it was starting to bother her. Hannah couldn't possibly know Danny's altar-ego. It was simply impossible.

"Okay," Hannah said, snapping her purse shut. "Let's go. There are many things I am going to teach you tonight, my young padawan.

"Teach me?" Sam asked, stopping short with her hand on the door-handle. "What do you mean, teach me?"

"Well, you half to learn how to flirt, how to pick-up, how to tease, how to seduce-"

"What?!" Sam yelped, her face turning pink at the last one. "You mean you're gonna teach me how to be a – a _whore_? I thought we were gonna see that new Taylor Lautner movie!"

"Not a whore, a slut," Hannah said cheerfully, and Sam started coughing.

"Relax, Sam, I'm joking. All we're gonna do is go out into the mall, which is loaded with guys, and practice getting Danny to ask you out. Remember that walk you did at the Nasty Burger last week? That was beautiful, I wanna see tons of that tonight. And-"

"Wait," Sam asked, still afraid to leave the car. "If I'm going to be out there, trying to get guys to chase after me, then what are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'll be watching you," Hannah winked at her and Sam blushed. "And I'll be there for you if you need me. There are plenty of creeps out there who only want you for your body."

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," Sam said sarcastically, and Hannah smiled.

"Also, I'll be giving you tips." She added.

"Tips?" Sam scoffed, flipping back her hair over her shoulder. "I don't need tips from you."

"Yes, you do, everybody loves my tips. Like, when you're making out with a guy, keep your tongue in your own mouth until he slips his into yours."

"EW!" Sam cried, banging her hands on the dashboard. "Ew, Hannah, I am not gonna be kissing anybody tonight!"

"Oh, yes you are," Hannah said forcefully. "It's good practice. And if you don't make out with any guys, then you'll just be stuck with me. And believe me, I'll be as grossed out as you, but it's for your own good."

"Please tell me this is another of your bizarre mood swings." Sam begged, looking beseechingly at Hannah.

Hannah shook her head, her dark curls bouncing. "Nope, sorry. Like it or not, you are going out there tonight, you are going to make every guy I point to want to grope you, and you are going to enjoy it."

"You're so _evil_," Sam said tiredly. "What kind of girl do you take me for? I've never been that kind of person, Hannah. I don't think Danny would appreciate it if he saw me flirting with every guy in the mall."

"Danny is not your boyfriend yet. You're a free agent. You have every right to hit on all the guys you want until he claims you for his own. I've noticed how jealous the boy gets; believe me, this is gonna work."

"I'm not getting out of the car." Sam said stubbornly, folding her arms and crossing her legs.

"Yes, you are, otherwise you and Danny will never be together." Hannah told her.

"Yes, we will, and it won't be like this!"

"No, you won't, because you're being stubborn!"

"You're not getting me out of the car, Hannah."

"Do it! NOW!"

"NO!"

"SAM!"

"MAKE ME!"

"FINE!"

Hannah heaved herself out of the car, slammed the door, and stomped furiously to the other side. She wrenched open Sam's door, catching the girl by surprise, and pushed her to one side. Sam's 'Ow!' was heard as she knocked her head against the steering wheel.

Hannah grabbed her ankles and tugged. Hard. Sam screamed, and clutched her seat belt, pulling it out all the way. Hannah heaved Sam's legs with all her might, and Sam's bottom half lay sprawling on the floor. Her head and torso were still inside the car, and she was clutching the edge of her seat with all her strength.

"Let go of me!" Sam yelled over Hannah's grunts.

"Not until you get out of my car!" Was the response, and with a pull worthy of Hercules, Sam flew out of the car, knocking Hannah over and landing spread-eagle on the floor.

"I should sue you for this," Sam muttered as she got up, brushing herself off.

"At least you landed on me! I hit the ground!" Hannah said, rubbing her butt.

"Good! You deserve it for what you're about to make me do!" Sam told her angrily, and Hannah grinned impishly.

"Come on," she said, giving Sam's arm a (gentle) tug. "Let's go. It'll be fun, I promise."

"Danny Fenton, you'd better ask me out soon, Sam grumbled as she allowed herself to be led into the mall.

Good? Bad? Let me know. Just say the word and I'll continue it. You are stellar and bodacious and sick and groovy and everything else that the hippies say! I love you, remember that, and if you love me back you will review. 


	5. Confrontation

Chapter Four: Confrontation

I'm SORRY, you guys, I didn't mean to be away for so long. See, I had to write a witness on the Eucharist, and God got mad at me for fooling around on the internet, so He shut my WLAN off! Believe me, I've checked everything, and it's all fine, according to the computer, but the internet still won't pop up. So, I'll post this as soon as He gives it back to me, okay? Aren't miracles supposed to be amazing, not irritating? Anyway, whatever, I deserve it for messing around, and I'm gonna shut up now so you can read the story.

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**Are you having any luck with your lady so far? Good. Anyway, now that we've covered friends, words, other men, and jealousy, it's time to get in-depth. Wait! Don't put the book down just yet; it's the kind of in-depth questionnaire that all guys will understand.**

**Let's face it. Girls are weird. They are beautiful, mysterious, tantalizing beings, but they are weird. The things they say and do don't really make sense. But don't worry, that's why I'm here to help you. When Juliet started acting like, well, a girl, you can imagine the kind of torture that put Romeo through. Of course, Jill didn't help the cause, because she told me later when we started going out that she put Juliet up to it all. Again, poor Romeo. **

**In this chapter, we are going to discuss the many actions of a woman that normally confuse and befuddle men like us. We are going to break down all the things they do and analyze them thoroughly, making sure we snatch every detail of their twisted minds. This chapter should help you figure out if she wants you or not, and what to do if she doesn't. Good luck, man.**

**How to Tell if She Wants You or Not**

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_Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it, _Danny chanted to himself as he watched Sam giggle and trace her finger on the back of home boy's hand.

Nando Juarez was the closest thing to a male model you could find, and he was also the leader of the local gang. All the girls worshiped him, with his tall, muscular frame, dark features, and smooth, velvety voice. Nando was grinning at Sam, but Danny couldn't help but notice that his gaze was about twelve inches south of where it should be. Oh, why did she have to pick today to wear a tank top? Why?

"Danny, you're going to break the fork," Tucker's voice broke into Danny's thick seventeen-year-old head.

Danny looked down. He was indeed clutching his plastic fork so tightly, and pressing his thumb onto it with such force, that the speared part was already cracking with strain. He let go, letting it clatter onto the table. Danny sighed.

"Hey, come on, dude, what's wrong?" Tucker asked, feeling that he already knew the answer. "You've been like this for two weeks, and I want to know what's going on."

"Oh, nothing," Danny said through clenched teeth. "Nothing at all. It's just that Sam is over there, flirting her guts out with some pretty boy gangster, and I'm sitting here useless, because I'll get shouted at if I try and do anything!"

"Well, it is her life, you know, she can do what she wants with it." Hannah said calmly, joining them at their table. They were in the food court at the mall, Tucker having persuaded all three of them to buy him ice cream. Two empty sundae containers were lying in the middle of the table, and his spoon was deep into the third one. His fourth was beginning to melt.

"I know it's her life, but I just don't want her wasting it with guys like that!" Danny snapped, waving his arms angrily at Sam and Nando, who were now leaning in to talk with hushed voices, their faces dangerously close.

"Right. You want her to waste it with you, don't you?" Hannah asked him smugly. Danny's mouth opened, then closed, and a few sounds came out, but no words. Tucker and Hannah's faces cracked into identical evil grins.

"This is all your fault!" Danny said, changing the subject. Hannah looked shocked.

"My fault! Exactly what and how is it my fault?" She said indignantly.

"You show up out of the blue, and Sam starts acting like – like that! I blame you, because she was never like that before!" Danny fumed at her, and, to his surprise, Hannah's expression was mollified.

"Oh. Well, yeah, that was me. You're right." Danny was so caught off guard that he forgot to be mad. "But believe me, I did it for you. I knew you weren't going to make a move on her unless you were jealous." Hannah was smirking at him, and his head was spinning.

"You are pretty easy to read, man." Tucker chuckled, and Danny shot a glare at him.

"This isn't funny!" he hissed at his best friend. Turning to Hannah, he said, "Hannah, you didn't actually tell her that I-"

"What are you asking me for? Why don't you go ask her? Besides, it'll be a good opportunity to scare Nando Juarez away from her. You can be quite threatening when you want, you know." Hannah said this all in a rush, eager to steer the conversation away from her.

Danny sat staring at her for a few seconds, then closed his mouth.

"You know what? You're right. I should go and talk to her. I mean, I'm her friend too, right? I deserve to know what's going on in her head." Danny said confidently.

"That's it, Danny! Be a man!" Hannah banged her fist on the table, and Danny stood up.

"I will! I'll be right back," he added lamely at the end, then ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his shirt. He turned to head over to Sam's table.

Over with Sam and Nando, Sam turned her head to see Hannah banging her fist on the table. She couldn't even grin, that's how bored she was. Sure, Nando was hot, but when Hannah had set her up with him, she'd forgotten to mention that they had NOTHING IN COMMON! It was so hard trying to talk to him, their conversations seemed to end up in short, one or two word sentences. She wished Danny was there.

As if on cue, she felt a presence behind her, and somebody cleared his throat. Startled, she looked up, and there was Danny, arms folded and wearing a scowl. Even angry he looked adorable. She flashed him a grin.

"Hey Danny," She said, turning away from Nando's suspicious expression. "What are you doing here?"

In truth, she'd known he was here the whole time. She'd picked the booth that gave him the best view of them, hoping to God that Hannah's claims of his jealousy would be true. It seemed like she was right.

"Sam," he said, casting a dark glare in Nando's direction. "Could I talk to you? In private?"

"Oh, I don't know Danny," Sam gave a fake sigh. "I _am_ on a date, and I can't leave poor Nando here all alone, even for a few minutes."

"That's okay," Nando said, in his smooth, heavily accented voice. "I need to use the bathroom anyway."

He got up and headed over to the men's room, hands in his pockets and his head slightly bowed. Sam pursed her lips at him, longing to make a face at his retreating back, but she decided against it.

"Okay, Sam," Danny said as he sat down, taking Nando's place at the table. "Talk."

"What about?" She asked innocently, knowing perfectly well what he wanted to hear.

"Everything!" Danny said furiously. "You've been acting so weird lately, flirting with guys, blowing me off, flirting with guys, shopping overtime at prep stores, flirting with guys, watching chick flicks 24/7, flirting with guys, talking about makeup, oh, and did I mention, _flirting with guys?!"_

"About five times," Sam said calmly, thoroughly enjoying this.

"Well?" Danny asked, leaning back in his seat.

"Well, what?" Sam replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Why've you been acting like that?" Danny exploded, glaring at her now.

Sam was having too much fun to give him an explanation now. "You know, Danny," she said, leaning forward just the way Hannah told her to and tilting her head so that from far away it might have looked as though she were going to kiss him. She noticed that his hands began to shake. "It sounds to me like you're a little bit…jealous."

Danny turned red. "What are you talking about?" He tried to sound indignant, but it came out as a low mutter.

"Oh, I don't know," Sam stated, twirling a strand of her hair in her finger. Hannah told her Danny loved it when she did this. "It's just that lately you've been giving all these guys I'm with weird looks – like you want to rip them apart or blast them with your ghost ray."

"Oh, is-is that what it looks like?" Danny squeaked, trying his best to sound casual, but failing completely. "Well, it's not."

"Oh, really? Then you want to tell me just exactly what was going through your mind when you found out I was going out with Nando Juarez?" Sam said smoothly, not a trace of red on her cheeks. Hannah told her it was sexier when girls didn't blush.

Danny stared at her, his mouth agape, and then he seemed to compose himself with a tiny shake of his head and began to glare at her again.

"I'll only tell you why I'm acting like this if you tell me why you're acting like that." He said firmly, staring straight into her eyes.

There was a pause, and then Sam said, "Well, that would kind of defeat the purpose wouldn't it?" She could tell that this last sentence had him completely nonplussed. "Anyway, I've gotta go pay for this, before Nando comes back and tries to talk me into it, which I'm sure he probably wont."

Danny blinked. "That didn't make any sense at all."

"No, I bet it didn't." Sam said cheerfully, and she walked towards the cash register, humming to herself.

Danny watched her go, confusion evident on his face, and then he felt someone's stare on him. He turned around, and Nando was there, wearing an expression of utmost pity. Now he was even more confused.

"You like her, huh?" He asked Danny, sitting down where Sam had been a few moments before.

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" Danny fumed, looking down.

Nando shrugged. "Well it's kind of obvious, no offense. It's just the way you look at her, and how your face goes all soft whenever she's around. Have you asked her out yet?"

"If I'd asked her out, she wouldn't be on a date with you." Danny said glumly.

Nando chuckled. "Oh, the date? Don't worry; I don't think it's ever gonna happen for us. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's hot, but she was looking over at you the whole time."

Danny let this news wash over him like a wave, but it seemed to dishearten him even more. "Yeah, right," Danny snorted. "She's probably just doing all this to mess with my head. It'd be her _new_ idea of a good time."

Nando didn't seem to know what Danny was talking about, so he just shrugged and watched in silence as Danny got up and walked away.

Hannah and Tucker were deep in conversation when he reached their table.

"Yes, I know, but that doesn't mean it's true!" Tucker cried, his voice high and in-denial.

"So you don't want to date me," Hannah said crossly, folding her arms across her chest and slumping back into her seat.

"No! I didn't mean that!" Tucker said, waving his hands in the air.

"So you do want to go out with me, then?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"Is this a bad time?" Danny asked cautiously, seeing as how Hannah and Tucker were now standing up, glaring each other in the face.

"YES!" They shouted at him, then promptly began screaming at each other. Danny didn't feel like getting involved, so he decided to head on home. After all, he wasn't wanted here.

"Wait, Danny!" He turned around, and saw Sam running towards him. Nando wasn't anywhere in sight. Although his heart fluttered as she pulled up, breathless, next to him, he really wasn't in the mood for a conversation with her right now. He wanted to go off and sulk by himself.

"What, Sam?" he asked irritably, and she seemed to catch on.

"I – I just wanted to invite you to Hannah's birthday in three weeks." She said, flinching slightly under his angry glare.

"And why would you invite me, and not Hannah?" Danny asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Well, she and Tucker are kind of busy at the moment," Sam said, looking over her shoulder at the pair, who still seemed to be arguing. "But she said she wanted you to come, so I thought I'd invite you since she didn't have the chance."

"Are you going to bring Nando with you?" Danny spat out bitterly, and to his utter bewilderment, a grin slowly spread out on her face.

"I knew it," she grinned at him happily. "You are jealous!"

"No, I'm not!" Danny yelled angrily, even though all his other feelings seemed to have vanished when she started laughing.

"Okay, whatever you say." Sam beamed at him one last time, then walked back to the food court, giggling. Danny's face was heated, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, biting his lip, and began to walk home.

It wasn't fair. She knew, and he didn't. She knew how he felt about her, or at least seemed to understand that he cared for her in a more than platonic way, and he had no idea what she felt for him. How did this happen? One minute they were the greatest of friends, and the next she had him on puppet strings. Why did it have to happen now, of all times? Why couldn't it have waited?

School the next day was torture. Sam would grin impishly at him every time she saw him, but at least she wouldn't bring up the previous day's conversation up whenever they talked. She seemed to understand that he needed to work out what was happening on his own. Hannah and Tucker seemed rather cheerful, and Sam swore it was because they had admitted their feelings to each other. When Danny had asked her why they weren't going out, she shrugged.

"Same reason we're not, I guess," She said bluntly, looking him straight in the eye. Hers had a twinkle.

The worst part of the day was definitely fifth period.

The first five minutes of chemistry, Hannah and Sam were sitting at the same table. Then, during the pop quiz, when Danny looked back at her, she and Dash were sitting pretty close together, with their heads together and their chairs tilted towards each other. Sam looked up and caught Danny's eye, then she grinned. Scooting her seat ever so slightly, so that hers and Dash's knees were touching, she placed her hand lightly on his arm, and began to move it back and forth, slowly and deliberately, the whole time looking at Danny. He gritted his teeth and looked down to see he had torn a hole through the paper.

Tucker didn't seem to notice his friends' attitude. When Danny came out of gym, looking as sulky as always, he just chatted the entire way to his house. Thursdays were always the days when he and Danny had their 'man time', but usually they just spent it studying. When they got there, Danny's mother greeted them with a cheery, "Hi, boys, do you want some snacks?" Both of them refused.

Jazz was the real problem.

Danny's sister was home for Easter break, and she was waiting in his room for him. She looked very surprised to see Tucker, but then a look of understanding dawned on her face.

"Hey, Danny. Hi, Tucker," She said brightly, and, noticing the sullen expression on her brother's face, threw an inquisitive look at Tucker. He shrugged, knowing Jazz would soon figure it out.

"Danny? Are you okay?" Jazz asked tentatively, standing up and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine!" Danny answered, shrugging her off. "Just peachy! Never been better!"

"Are you being bullied again? Remember freshman and sophomore years? You were always being picked on by-"

"Yes, I know, the wedgies are still fresh in my mind, no need to enunciate, thanks!" Danny said sarcastically, avoiding his sister's eyes.

A look of deepest understanding crossed Jazz's face. "It's a _girl_, isn't it Danny?"

Tucker laughed while Danny's face burned red.

"I knew it! Is she pretty? Do I know her?" Jazz pressed, taking hold of Danny's shoulders.

"Jazz, I have tons of homework to do, do you think you could maybe, oh, I don't know, LEAVE?!" Danny shouted, trying to control his temperature.

Jazz gasped. "It's Sam, isn't it? Oh, I _knew_ it! Has she tried making you jealous yet?"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Danny yelled, and he grabbed Jazz's hand, turning intangible and phasing her through the floor of his bedroom. Her cries of protest were drowned out as the top of her head disappeared through the wood paneling.

Danny slammed the door to his bedroom, fuming. He dropped his backpack on the floor and kicked it towards the opposite wall, then threw himself onto his bed. He screamed into his pillow.

Tucker, who had walked in with him, just laughed.

Danny's head shot up, and, ignoring Tucker's smirks, turned to face his friend with a furious expression. Tucker steeled himself for venting.

"What does she see in all those guys anyway?" Danny asked him, replaying the entire day in his head.

"Well, from what I can tell, they're scoping out all the best looking guys and flirting with them. Just like what we do with the chicks." Tucker said matter-of-factly.

"But there's a difference in what we used to do!" Danny cried, distressed.

"Used to?" Tucker inquired, but Danny didn't hear him.

"Sam never used to be like that! Never! And then Hannah comes along and the next thing I know she's all talkative and giggly like a-"

"Girl?" Tucker finished for him, and Danny fell silent.

Tucker sighed, feeling that it was time his best friend had and epiphany. "Look, dude, I know how you feel about Sam."

Danny flushed and opened his mouth to retort, but Tucker shushed him.

"Listen to me!" he said. "I'm trying to help you."

Still scarlet in the face, Danny sank back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for Tucker to continue.

"Sam's seventeen now, Danny. It's about time she took an interest in girl stuff, you know? And she's only ever hung out with us guys since the fourth grade. The only other real girl she had was your sister, and who wants to spend all day with her? No offense. From my perspective, Hannah's really done her some good. Sam needs to be with more of her kind, don't you think? Because let's face it, dude, men and women are like an entirely different species."

Danny snorted. "What are you, her mother?" he asked.

"No," Tucker answered, glaring at him now. "I'm her _friend_."

The smirk slid right off Danny's face. Then he sighed.

"You're right," he said finally. "Even if I don't like it, you're right."

"I'm always right." Tucker answered cheerfully, and Danny shot a ghost ray at his hat.

"But Tucker," Danny said quietly, almost whispering. His face was dead serious, and his voice was hoarse, something that happened only when his pain was very emotionally deep. Tucker leaned forward, bending over Danny so that part of his face was covered in shadow. His blue eyes were brighter than usual, and Tucker noted that this was because they were gleaming with water.

"I don't want to be just her friend." Came Danny's hoarse whisper, and he looked away from him.

Poor Danny. He had only wanted to be with Sam ever since what seemed like forever. There wasn't one period of time when he hadn't suspected Danny of nursing deep feelings for her. It must be awful to feel like that about someone, not knowing if they felt the same.

Which, she did, actually, so there really wasn't anything for Danny to cry about.

But Tucker had swore his on his soul to Sam that he wouldn't tell Danny anything about it, so his poor friend had to wallow in misery while she was out there flirting nonstop with every guy in town.

Feeling sorry for him, Tucker patted Danny on the back in a very manly way and said:

"Then make a move, Danny, or else you'll never be with her."

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Oh, my GOD! Twenty-two reviews! That's really good for me! Wow, thanks you guys, I love you! I'm glad Jesus found it in his heart to TURN MY WLAN OM, but then again, he died on the cross for me; why not give me back my internet access? Ha-ha, guess what? If Taylor Lautner and Megan Fox had a child, that would be you. Because you are hotmazing and fantabulous and prettiful and sexilicious, and I like reviews.


	6. Bombshell

Chapter Five:

Yaay another chapter. Read this, and tell me if you like it. I was up till two last night typing, so you'd better. Here you go:

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**Okay, now that you've decided on what you've wanted, here's what you gotta do: Ask her out. It's really not that hard, when you do it, its just that you build up all this anxiety and you make it into a big deal in your head, and that just makes it worse. Girls like it when guys ask them out, although there's the occasional chick who'll get mad because of revolutionary sexist ideals or something. Juliet was the exact same way until Jill came. Anyway, this chapter should give you some tips and illustrations on how to ask her. So, here it is:**

**How to Say It**

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Hannah screamed, as a shadow jumped out at her. And it wasn't any normal shadow, either. It was a formless lump of darkness, with red eyes somewhere near the top. Sharp white teeth grinned at her, and she felt her heart beat faster.

The roar of an engine reached her ears, and she turned to see a kid on a motorcycle screech to a halt next to the shadow. He was deathly pale, with green eyes and yellow hair, and he looked like a washed up rocker from the nineteen eighties. He frowned when he saw her.

"Hey, you're not the gloomy girl," he said unhappily, and he turned to give his shadow a disappointing look.

"I told you to find his goth girlfriend, the one in black who's always with him." The guy said, and Hannah's heart jumped into her throat when the shadow swooped up and peered into her face, its red eyes glittering. The thing turned to its – owner? And made wild hand motions, with arms that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I know she's wearing black, but the other one had boots on," The guy said.

"Oh, my God," Hannah breathed, despite her fear. "You can talk to shadows?"

The guy on the motorcycle gave her a weird look.

"Yeah," he said, drawing himself up to his full height. "All ghosts can."

"You're a GHOST?!" Hannah screeched, and both the guy and the shadow burst into laughter.

"What was your first clue?" He chortled, and the shadow made a whooping noise. Hannah paled. What kind of town was this?

"Hey, Johnny!" Came a familiar voice, and the guy on the motorcycle looked up. Hannah sighed in relief, for there, flying towards her, was Danny's altar-ego, and his fists were glowing green.

"What are you trying to do with her?" Danny Phantom shouted, and, without waiting for an answer, he blasted a beam of green energy out of both his hands. The ghost named Johnny yelped, and then he cried, "Shadow, protect!"

The shadow that had been holding Hannah's neck released her, and few over to Johnny, covering him like a dome. Johnny took off on his motorcycle, and Hannah watched as Danny chased after him, blasting him every few seconds and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hannah!" Came a cry from close by, and she turned to see Sam and Tucker running towards her. Sam skidded to a stop in front of her, and a few moments later Tucker came up to her, his face shining with sweat and huffing and puffing heavily. Hannah was so relieved to see them, she momentarily forgot the ghost.

"Guys!" She said, and launched herself into their open arms. Tucker put his hand on her hair, and was stroking it, while Sam soothingly rubbed her back.

"I'll be right back, you two," Sam said, and Hannah saw something metallic flash in her hand. It looked like a high-tech soup canister. Tucker nodded and Sam took off after Danny, her black boots clonking the pavement and her dark hair rippling in the wind.

Hannah, who was still quite traumatized, was on the verge of passing out.

"Wait," she muttered, making a weak attempt to pursuit her. Tucker restrained her by slipping an arm around her waist. "No…he wanted…her…not me…gotta help…tell Danny…"

"Hannah, it's okay," Tucker said, looking down at her, startled. "Sam knows what she's doing, she and the ghost kid will be okay."

The whole world was tilting, and everything was becoming cloudy. Lucky for her, Tucker caught her as her head lolled back and she fainted.

"Aw, come on," he said, re-positioning her into a sitting position. Her head drooped onto her chest, and her hair fell down around it, making a curtain around her face.

Meanwhile, Danny had caught up with Johnny and was trying to question him, although he'd forgotten that he'd bound and gagged him. Johnny, who was perfectly fine with Danny, didn't harbor any resentful feelings towards him for doing that. He'd do the same if the Phantom kid had tried to kidnap Kitty.

"Why were you after Hannah?" Danny demanded.

"Mmmppphhhhaaaaappphhhh," Johnny said, and Danny became angrier.

"Tell me or I'll blast you!" Danny yelled, and Johnny began to squirm.

"Mmmmmppphhh! Mmmmpppphhhmmmppphhh!" Danny seemed to catch on, and he promptly ripped the gag off Johnny's face.

"I wasn't after _curly_," Johnny explained, the corners of his lips twitching. "I was after gloomy, your girlfriend."

"Sam is not my girlfriend!" Danny shouted as Sam came running up to him, holding the Fenton Thermos.

Johnny looked surprised. "Really?" he asked Sam, and she shrugged.

"It's complicated," she said, glaring at Danny, who was now red in the face. She noticed that he blushed quite a lot when she was near.

Amused, Johnny sat up. "Really?" he asked again, only to receive a scowl from Danny. Sam sighed dramatically.

"So, are you two like, friends with benefits, then?" Johnny asked, and to his delight Sam and Danny both turned red.

"No! Ew, you perv!" Sam cried, and she leaned forward and smacked him. Danny gave a nervous chuckle.

"Are you guys taking a break, then?" Johnny continued, ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder where she had hit him.

"No!" This time it was Danny who answered. "We're not doing anything, okay Johnny? Sam and I are just friends!" He said this with a lot more bravo than he actually had.

"He wishes," Johnny muttered to Sam, who giggled, and Danny flushed yet AGAIN. In an attempt to distract them he flew back onto the ground and yanked the thermos out of Sam's hands.

"Sam, Johnny was trying to waste you," Danny said, feeling like a tattletale kindergartener.

Sam gasped and turned to Johnny. "What? Why?"

Johnny huffed and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't trying to waste you, Gloomy, I was trying to find you and give you this." He dug something out of his pocket and held it up. A turquoise ring with a gold band was glittering in the sun. Sam stared down at his open palm then turned to look at Danny with a slightly guilty expression.

"Oh," she said, looking embarrassed. "Um, thanks. I think I dropped it the last time we were in the ghost zone."

Danny looked confused. "But that's my ring! I gave it to Sam for safekeeping! Why would you bring it to her and not me?"

"Well, it had her name on it," Johnny explained, picking up the ring and holing it out to Danny. The ghost boy in question paled.

"HA!" Sam cried triumphantly. "I knew it! I knew you liked me more than just friends!"

"Well if you did, then why didn't you ask me out?" Danny cried.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah. Right. Like I'm the one who's gonna ask you out. You're the one with the ring, Danny."

Danny was running out of excuses. He stared down at the little ring in his palm, wondering if he would ever be ready to give it to her. It seemed like they had passed the 'just friends' stage long ago. When his dad had given him his blessing, the very idea was laughable. But now, now that she knew he had feelings for her, and she was hinting that she'd like to be in a serious relationship with her, well, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. They'd always had this mutual, silent agreement to never let anything interfere with their friendship. But would a relationship with Sam be worth it enough to risk that? Danny knew the answer right away; yes, yes it would. He'd wanted this for so long, years, maybe. To be able to hold her hand when he wanted and kiss her when he wanted, and run his fingers through her beautiful hair…it was definitely worth the risk. It was just the thought of them splitting up that scared him. What if they ended badly, and never spoke again? He couldn't live without her, it was an established fact. But oh, to be able to kiss her, and hold her, and feel her breath on his skin freely…

"Hey, kid?" Johnny's voice was in his ear, loud and earth-shattering. Well, not really, but you get the picture. "Kid? Phantom? You there?"

Danny snapped back to earth. Johnny had phased out of his binding, and he and Sam were staring at him expectantly.

"W-Wha-?" Danny asked, and then closed his mouth, trying to pull himself together. He cleared his throat then drew himself up taller. "Yes?" he asked, sounding slightly British.

"I was just saying bye," Johnny said, giving him a weird look. "Clockwork owes me a favor, and Kitty and I thought it'd be fun to give the ancient Mayans a scare."

"Yeah, you do that," Danny said, already beginning to tune him out. Sam was walking towards him.

"Thanks for everything!" Sam yelled over the sudden roar of his engines. The Shadow soared over their heads and latched itself onto Johnny's silhouette, seeming to blend into the sidewalk. Johnny winked at the pair, and then took off, leaving black skid marks behind him that seemed to fade away as he grew smaller and smaller into the distance.

Sam turned to Danny. "So," she said, shifting her weight onto one hip and placing her hands on her waist.

"So?" Danny asked, really, really, not wanting to get into this right now, not when Tucker was waving at him from across the street with Hannah's slumped form on his back.

"Don't you 'so' me, Daniel Fenton!"

"But you 'so'd' me first!"

"Are you being smart with me?" Sam asked, looking dangerous all of a sudden. It was enough to make Danny gulp.

"No, sir."

"Sir? _Sir?_ Do I look like a 'sir' to you?"

"N-no!"

"Damn right I don't!" Sam roared, and Danny took a step back. She took a deep, calming breath, and then looked up at him, a bright smile on her face. Danny blinked.

"Sorry," she apologized. "PMS-ing."

Danny could only nod. His throat was tight and his heart was quickening as she stepped closer to him, tossing her hair back. It caught the light and some strands of it gleamed blue. Danny's heart fluttered faster as she stopped right in front of him, their bodies mere centimeters apart.

"Now," Sam said calmly. "About that ring."

Danny gulped, raising a hand back to scratch his neck awkwardly. "Well, I- I mean-"

"Oh, come on, Danny," Sam said impatiently, tapping her foot. "Just say it already."

"Do - do I have to, Sam?" He asked, his eyes pleading.

Sam smirked. "Oh, yes, I think you do. Because if you don't, then I'm never going to know how you feel about me and I'll spend my days wondering and pondering what wasn't and what could have been."

"But you already know how I feel about you!" Danny groaned. This was so hard. When did it get this complicated for them?

"Actually, I don't, because you haven't said anything," Sam reasoned, and Danny shot her a glare. She smiled angelically.

"Did Hannah teach you this mind-twisting method?" Danny asked, slightly scared of the answer.

"Why, no, I don't believe she did," Sam grinned, showing all her white, even teeth. "This is something every girl comes equipped with; it's been in the back of our brains since the beginning of time."

"Oh, great, so now there's some freaky ancient Chinese voodoo involved," Danny muttered, trying to stall for time.

"Who said anything about voodoo?" Sam asked. Then she took his hand and stood up on tiptoe, surprising him by pecking his cheek. "Even when you're not clueless, you're still clueless." She sighed.

Danny was in his own world, where he was flying through the clouds on a moped, and Sam was riding behind him with her arms around his middle. Her kiss was still hot on his cheek, or was that just his cheek? Either way, he was still extremely distracted, and didn't notice when Tucker and the unconscious Hannah joined them two seconds later.

"Guys," he panted, setting Hannah down gently and straightening up. "What…did…I…miss? Why was…Johnny…chasing Ha…Hannah?"

"He wasn't chasing Hannah, he was after me," Sam informed him, looking grim. "It turns out he just wanted to give me a ring."

Tucker looked startled. "I thought Johnny and Kitty were going out?!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yes, they are, Tuck. He wanted to give me _back _a ring."

"Oh," Tucker said, and then turned to Danny, looking smug. "THE ring?"

"Yes, Tucker, THE ring, the one she wasn't supposed to know about." Danny said, rather embarrassed now.

"But I do know about it, and Danny's too much of a chicken to do anything about it," Sam said sarcastically, and Danny turned to her, offended.

"I am NOT chicken!" he shouted, attracting several alarmed glares from the onlookers.

"Chicken!" Sam shouted back, yelling right in his face. "Buck! Buck! Buck!"

"Oh, yeah?" Danny yelled leaning closer to her. "Well you're a hoe!"

"Better a hoe than a loser!" Sam cried.

"Better a loser than ugly!" Danny retorted loudly.

"Better ugly than stupid!" Sam shot back.

"Nerd!" Danny yelled.

"GEEK!" Sam screamed, her voice rising

"QUEER!" Danny spat out at her.

"HOMO!" Sam screeched.

"LONER!" Danny roared.

"FREAK!" Sam shouted.

"I LOVE YOU!" Danny exclaimed, unable to hold it in any longer.

"I KNOW!" Sam cried, her expression fierce.

The two lunged at each other.

Honestly, Tucker pitied himself. He had to watch is two best friends make out in the middle of crowded sidewalk, not to mention the fact that one of them was still in ghost form.

Beside him, since they were both sitting down, Hannah stirred. Tucker panicked. As far as Hannah knew, Sam and Danny Fenton were in love. Not Sam and Danny Phantom. And right now, those two looked pretty loving towards each other. Standing up hastily, he dashed over to his two friends, who didn't really seem to notice him. He grabbed fistfuls of each of their hair and yanked them apart, earning him and "Ow!" from each one.

"Go away, Tucker," Danny gasped, reaching for Sam again. Tucker yanked harder.

"Yeah, leave us alone," Sam breathed, leaning over to Danny again. Tucker pulled her hair harder, and her entire head snapped back away from him.

"Guys," Tucker hissed. "Guess who's waking up?"

But Sam and Danny ignored him once again.

Hannah was still quite groggy. Her head hurt like hell, and what on earth was she doing on the floor? (Get it? Earth? Ignore this, it's lame) She sat up with effort; a small bead of sweat broke out on her forehead as she used all her strength to push herself up into a seated position.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight. She closed them again, brow furrowing as she tried to remember what had happened before she blacked out. A shadow had attacked her, a ghost boy on a motorcycle was looking for Sam, and then Danny fired his ghost whatever on the kid. Hannah shook her head, trying to clear it. It sounded like a bad cartoon.

What was the last thing she remembered before she woke up? Sam was there, Danny was fading into the distance, and Tucker smelled so nice. Alert now, and completely fine, she looked around.

She was sitting, cross legged, in the middle of a sidewalk, like some hobo hippie chick. A lot of people were giving her weird stares, including Tucker. Hannah frowned, wondering why he would be giving her that look. He seemed…worried, or something. Frightened. Like the way someone looks when they're watching a horror film and they don't want the character to open the closet.

Tilting her head slightly, she observed him for a tiny fraction of a second, and then she turned her gaze onto the couple right next to him.

At first, she couldn't tell who they were, because their arms were so wrapped around the other that they seemed to become one tangled, moving mess. Then, she saw the faint silver glow surrounding the guy with snow white hair and a black jumpsuit. The only one _he _would ever kiss like that was Sam.

And there she was. Standing on tiptoe, eating his face. In a good way. She sat there, stumped for a minute, and then it hit her. Tucker looked hysterical now, and somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that she probably wasn't supposed to be witnessing this. But her excitement won over.

"OH MY GOD!" she boomed at the top of her lungs. Hopelessly, Tucker put his face into his hands and began to rub his temples, muttering "Here it comes, here it comes."

At the sound of her voice, Sam and Danny jumped apart. Sam's mouth fell open, and a few useless sounds streamed out of it. Danny's eyes were wide, and he bit his lip nervously.

_Oh, no_ Danny thought. Now Hannah was going to go and try and find Danny Fenton to tell him what Sam had been up to. And she would probably bring Sam along with her, to make him jealous or whatever. But the trouble was that Hannah was smart, and she was really good at putting two and two together. Terrified for the protection of his secret, he steeled his mind, ready to give any excuse he could so that his secret would stay safe.

"Oh, my GOD you guys!" Hannah squealed, and to Danny's utmost surprise, she bounced up from the floor and rushed over to them, pulling them both into a bone-crushing hug. For someone that short, she was really, _really_ strong.

"I can't believe it! Finally! Oh, I have dreamed about this day for _two months_, you know that? Ever since I came here I knew you two were going to end up together! I could feel it in my bones! I just can't believe it took you this long to make a move, Danny," Hannah said matter-of-factly, releasing them and looking at him sternly.

"Wh-what did you just say, Hannah?" Sam asked beside him, but he couldn't really think. His mind was frozen in shock.

"I said I knew you two would be together," Hannah said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then understanding reached her face.

"Oh," she said, looking shy all of a sudden. "The ghost secret alter-ego thing. Right. Well, I've known for a long time. I'm not stupid, you know."

Tucker, Sam, and Danny gaped at her.

Yay I finished this chapter! Wow, eleven pages, that's pretty good, my friend. I'll try and post the next one soon, okay? **ATTENTION: ****ALL PERSONEL WHO HAVE READ THIS STORY ARE CONSIDERED BY ATHORITIES TO BE AWESOME, AMAZING, THE SICKEST, AND THE BOMB LIKE TICK, TICK. ALL PERSONEL WHO ARE CONSIDERED TO BE AWESOME, AMAZING, THE SICKEST, AND THE BOMB LIKE TICK, TICK ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO REVIEW SAID READ STORY. **


	7. Heartbeat

**Chapter Six: Heartbeat**

OMG it's the end waaaaa! Soo sorry for the long wait, my internet broke down because my dad did weird technical voodoo when he instilled our new FITFTY INCH FLATSCREEN PLASMA TV!!! Anyway, since this is the last chapter, I'm gonna try and make it a little bit longer for you guys, okay? I really had fun with all of this, just so you know, and I'd like to thank all of these amazing people for remaining faithful:

Jess, Jessi, Kirsten, Phantom Misfit, (LOVED the picture!), Samantha Fenton, Super Heroes Fanatic, Romance and Musicals, Mz Jinky, Kiwi 118, Goku's elegy, Courageux, XOlovebirdOX, and everyone else that I am horrible enough to forget. Sorry, and thank you, I love you guys, you kept me going!

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**Okay, so now that you and your woman have openly confessed your undying love to each other or whatever, and you're (hopefully) in possession of a new girlfriend, then there's not really much to do. Your life will be filled with joy and wonder and all that good stuff, and you'll be pretty busy with your new lady. So, if you like, you can go and read my other book: ****Tucker Foley's Complete Guide to Girlfriends for the Clueless. ****Or, you can just read this last chapter, since it has very good pointers on how to keep her happy. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow. Now go and get on with your life. **

**Tips for the Lovebirds…**

"So let me get this straight," Danny said, shifting his position on the couch. "You knew about my powers the entire time you were here, and you didn't say anything because you wanted me to tell you first?"

"Well, kinda. It was more like I was waiting for you to trust me enough to tell me. I knew at the start that you didn't exactly like me that much. I was waiting for the right time to tell you I knew." Hannah confessed, crossing her legs.

They were back at Sam's house. Danny had rushed them there in a state of emergency after fleeing the scene in the middle of the sidewalk. Hannah had screamed and shouted the entire time; she wasn't very comfortable with flying. He'd phased them all through every wall in the house until they reached Sam's room. From there, he proceeded to lock the door and promptly change Sam's password, (which, conveniently, turned out to be Samantha Fenton Jonas) then tossed them all onto the floor like rag dolls.

Tucker was sitting on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees, and he was using his backpack as a seat cushion. Hannah was right next to him, in a squashy looking armchair, and was surrounded by dozens of colorful, fluffy pillows. She was leaning back, with her legs crossed, and looked extremely comfortable for one having just admitted to knowing someone's deepest secret.

Sam was sitting on the couch, and Danny was next to her, his arm slung casually over her shoulders, like it was always meant to be there. They were holding hands. She was leaning against him with her head on his chest, and he was absentmindedly stroking her hair. However, they were both still frowning at Hannah.

"Well, you could have at least told me that you knew," Sam accused, and Hannah sighed.

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do, you know? I mean, I've only ever discovered that one of my best friends is a superhero ghost-kid, hmm, well, let's see, _never_!"

Only one part of this sentence seemed to really catch Danny's attention. "Best friends, eh? Really?"

Hannah turned pink, and ducked her head, speaking in a rush. "Well, I mean, all four of us, we do hang out together a lot, and we get along really well, and I'm in on the big secret now, and you did save me from that ghost today, and, well, I just thought-"

"Hmm, well, I don't know, guys," Tucker said in mock sarcasm, turning to Danny and Sam with a smirk. "What do you think about a fourth addition to these three musketeers?"

"I'm all for it," Sam said happily. "It's been a while since a girl joined the group, and even then I didn't like her.

"Hey, you were okay with Valerie," Danny argued, squeezing her hand.

"Not really, since she deliberately stole you from me and tried to kill you," Sam said, looking up at him with a 'duh' expression.

"What?" Hannah asked, and Tucker laughed.

"It's a story for another time," he said, flashing her a grin. Her heart missed a beat.

"What about you, Danny?" Sam asked, and Danny turned to Hannah, thoughtful.

"Well," he started, and Hannah's stomach began to sink. She knew that look. "I mean, you are pretty cool, and you do know our secret, and I really think you are a good candidate for a new best friend, but…"

Hannah looked down as Sam gave Danny a smack.

"But," he continued, grinning now. "The only other girls we let into are group are eligible girlfriends for Tucker. I'm sorry, Hannah, but the only way you'll ever earn our best-friend-man-ship, is if you'll admit right here and right now that you like Tucker."

Sam was smiling, and Danny's grin was so wide that it might stretch off his face, and Tucker was red and looking anywhere but at Hannah. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"He already knows I like him. I've been pestering him to ask me out ever since I saw how well it was going for you and Sam." Hannah looked straight at Tucker, who nervously stared back.

"Seriously?" He asked, bewilderment crossing his face. "You mean all those hints, and clues and weird notes – you were just trying to get me to ask you out on a date?"

"It doesn't work half as well when the boy in question can lose and IQ test to a blonde piece of ham," Hannah snapped, and Tucker blushed deeper.

"So, you do like me then?" Tucker said hopefully.

"What was your first clue? 'Why won't you ask me out,' or 'I think we'd make a great couple?'"

"Oh." Tucker blinked. "So, do you want to go out with me then?"

Danny and Sam burst into laughter. They both roared and guffawed and clutched their sides until tears were streaming down their cheeks. Hannah just sat there, staring in disbelief, as Tucker waited patiently for his friends' hysterics to die down.

"_Yes_," Hannah said forcefully. Then smiled and said, "Thank you."

Tucker gave a great "Whoop!" of delight, and jumped up and started punching the air. Hannah giggled and pulled his arm down, spinning him around so that their lips would meet in a short, sweet little kiss. Danny turned to Sam and mimed barfing actions, and she elbowed him softly then snuggled closer to him, gazing into his face.

"At least it didn't take _them_ four years," Sam said, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand. Danny liked the feeling.

"Well it was worth it, wasn't it?" Danny replied, smiling.

"Yeah, it was," Sam murmured, and she kissed him. They didn't pull apart for a long time, and when they did, the first thing they saw was a camera lens pointing at them from across the room. Sam jumped up and ran at Hannah, who screamed and darted from the room, with Sam hot on her heels.

Danny and Tucker chuckled, and then Danny turned to him, suddenly breathless.

"Thanks," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Tucker gave him a weird look.

"For what?" he asked, slightly confused.

"For giving me that really great advice the other day. It made me see a whole other side of the situation. And it really worked, even though I thought it wouldn't."

Tucker scowled. "You mean you didn't believe me?"

There was a lot of banging coming from what sounded like the kitchen, and then a loud cry of "PUT THE KNIFE _DOWN_!"

"Well, not really," Danny admitted. "But I'm really glad I tried it anyway. You should write a book, Tuck, on the way girls' minds work or something. You'd make millions."

"Yeah," Tucker said dreamily. "I can see it now. Tucker Foley's Complete Guide to Girls For the Clueless."

Danny punched his shoulder. "I'm not _that_ clueless," he said, irritated.

Something downstairs crashed, and then someone shouted, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" Then another voice joined in and both girls promptly were screaming at each other.

"Do you think one of them's gonna get hurt?" Tucker asked, looking towards the door.

Danny shrugged. "Sam can handle herself."

Tucker frowned. "I was talking about Hannah."

They looked at each other, and then cracked up, doubling over and clutching their sides.

There were muffled thumps underneath them, and something collapsed, and they could feel the floor shaking. "GET OFF ME!" Hannah shouted. "YOU BIT ME!" Sam yelled. Tucker and Danny exchanged glances, then Danny's head disappeared, and his body was kneeling down on the ground.

"Hey, guys, is everything okay?" Tucker heard him ask.

"Woah, he can _do_ that?" Hannah's voice sounded shocked.

"You'd be surprised what ghosts can do," Sam's tone was smug. There was a long silence, and then a loud, painful-sounding smack was heard.

"HEY, I AM TRYING TO KISS MY BOYFRIEND HERE!" Sam roared. Danny's head reappeared onto his body as he sat down, looking dazed.

"WELL DON'T DO IT IN FRONT OF ME!" Hannah screeched, and then there was a loud crack. Tucker thought maybe Sam had broken some body part of Hannah's, but then the sound of both girls running out into the yard was heard, and Danny seemed to come back to earth.

"They knocked over the couch," he muttered, shaking his head. "And man, Sam can _kiss_ when she wants to."

"I know," said Tucker, remembering.

"What?" Danny asked, shocked.

"Oh – nothing." Tucker said, blushing, and he turned around to stare out the window. Sam had Hannah in one of her famous headlocks. Hannah was spanking Sam. Or trying to, anyway.

"And they all lived happily ever after," Danny said, coming to stand by Tucker. He chuckled.

"Well, not yet, you know. We still have to finish high school, and then you can say that." Tucker reasoned.

"Well, why not now?" Danny asked, watching as Hannah pinned Sam onto the grass. Sam was squirming. "I mean, everything's cool now, there's nothing more to worry about. Unless, you know, there's some freakish twist and Hannah told People that I was the ghost-kid."

Tucker gave him a weird look. "Why would Hannah tell People that you were the ghost-kid?"

"It could happen!" Danny said defensively, and outside Sam seized Hannah by the wrist and heaved, flipping her over and slamming her on the ground. Huh. Impressive, Danny thought.

"Besides, she said she wasn't gonna tell anyone. That's why she's our new best friend, remember?" Tucker said.

"Yeah, I guess," Danny mumbled, and he looked down onto the lawn again. The girls had disappeared.

"I just hope that Sam stops all that weird girl stuff. I liked her better before." Danny said, sounding a little bit cross.

"Well, she does dress better now," Tucker said thoughtfully.

Sam had taken to wearing sleeveless shirts and short-shorts when she wasn't in school.

Danny grinned. "Yeah, she does."

The door downstairs slammed and they heard voices coming from the entrance hall. Tucker looked at Danny with a panicked expression, thinking for a moment that Sam's parents had come home. (They had banned the two boys from their house after they had heaved them down the stairs. What they didn't know was that Danny and Tucker were merely trying to push them out of the way of Technus.)

"Sam?" Danny called, poking his head out of the doorway. "Hannah? Is that you?"

Giggles erupted from the bottom of the stairs, and hushed whispers carried up to them, though they were unintelligible. Then the sound of Sam's boots clunking up the stairs and Hannah's footsteps following were loud in the hallway.

The two girls appeared in the room, their arms around each other's waists and smiles, wide and evident, on their faces. They beamed at their boyfriends, who looked stumped.

"Okay, I give up," Danny cried, throwing his hands in the air. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Sam said, still grinning broadly.

"Aren't you two still mad about your fight or anything?" Tucker asked, crossing his arms.

"Fight?" Hannah blinked. "What fight?"

Tucker and Danny exchanged glances. "Weren't you two just outside, ripping each other's throats out?" Danny asked.

"No," Sam and Hannah said together.

"But – but you knocked over the couch!" Danny said.

"And you flipped her!" Tucker pointed at Sam.

"Yeah, and you bit her!" Danny looked at Hannah.

The two girls stared at them for a long while, and then slowly, they turned their heads to look at each other, and burst into laughter. They fell into each other's arms, and they closed their eyes, and they sunk all the way down to the floor. They didn't stop giggling until Danny and Tucker who were tired of waiting, had joined them on the ground.

"Are you done?" Tucker asked, not looking up.

"Yeah. Sorry." Sam sat up and dusted herself off. Hannah remained on the floor, her arms spread-eagled and her knees up.

"So, what exactly was so funny?" Danny asked, rising up onto his knees.

"We weren't having a fight," Sam explained, her tone serene.

"Then what was all of that?" Danny asked, waving his hand towards the door.

"We were just fooling around." Sam said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Really? I mean, from what I heard, you even had a knife in your ha-"

"Oh, Tucker, just because it sounds like we're fighting doesn't mean we actually are," Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't you guys sometimes punch each other for fun or something? You know, recreational wrestling?"

Danny and Tucker looked at each other. "No."

"Oh, never mind," Sam snapped, and then she stopped and smiled. "It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand.

On the floor behind her, Hannah gave a manic giggle.

"Uh – what's with her?" Danny nodded towards her.

Sam glanced back. "Oh, that? That always happens every time she laughs too much."

Tucker looked concerned. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Sam walked over, kneeled down gently by Hannah's side, smoothed back her hair, and slapped her.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Sam said, rubbing her hands together as Hannah sat up and rubbed her hand to her cheek, glaring at Sam.

"You didn't have to do it that hard," she grumbled. When she took her hand away, there was a large red handprint vivid on her face.

"Oh, you needed it," Sam shot back, and then the two girls embraced, giggling.

Danny looked at Tucker, who shrugged. "I can't explain everything," he said, then busied himself with his PDA.

**Epilogue**

"Aren't they cute?" Hannah cooed, peeking through her binoculars down in the middle of the stadium, where Danny and Sam where slow dancing, their heads resting together, and their eyes on each other's.

"You're cuter," Tucker remarked, which earned him an "Awww," and a kiss on the cheek.

"I just can't believe you've never been on a date like this before," Hannah said, returning her eyes to her binoculars.

Tucker raised his eyebrows. "What kind of person goes on a date to spy on other people's dates?"

Hannah rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised," she muttered, and suddenly jumped up and squealed.

"What?" Tucker asked, startled.

"You wouldn't believe what he's doing!" Hannah said, excited. "Here. Look!"

Tucker took the binoculars, looking at his girlfriend suspiciously. She nodded earnestly and pointed down into the middle of the stadium, where Danny and Sam had stopped dancing and were standing alone. Curious, he adjusted the dials to get a closer view, and was surprised at what he saw.

The decorations from Hannah's party were still there. Balloons and streamers and confetti were littered all over the place, and the lights were still moving around in hypnotic patterns. A slow song was playing, though it was one that Tucker was unfamiliar with. All the guests had gone now, but Sam and Danny still stood alone in the middle of the court. Hannah had insisted on having her eighteenth birthday in the Staples Center, claiming that 'it had never been done before.'

Danny was holding something small and glittery in-between his thumb and forefinger. He was talking to Sam in a low, hushed voice, and his face was very close to hers. Her eyes were sparkling.

"Danny – are you serious?" Sam asked, taking his hand in hers. It was warm, and softer than she expected, but still quite rough and beaten up from all his past battles.

"I've never been more serious in my life, Sammy," Danny smiled at her, and raised his hand to her cheek. It was so smooth, like velvet. She lifted her free hand up, covering his with her own. Her violet eyes were brimming with sparkles.

"I honestly love you," Danny continued, and Sam couldn't help smiling back. Her heart was soaring around in her chest, and she felt rather weak in the knees, not to mention that they were shaking. The effect he had on her was incredible.

"I've told you before that I couldn't imagine my life without you. I couldn't imagine one _day_ without you, Sam. You're so addictive you know, but in a good way. And I want to be with you, no matter what."

"Oh, Danny," Sam breathed. "You sure have a way with words."

Danny flashed her a grin, and her heart melted. "I probably don't even need to ask you this, but…will you marry me?"

"Yes, Danny, I – wait, what?"

He laughed. "I'm kidding. But keep in mind that you are now currently my fiancé-slash-girlfriend, Miss Manson."

Sam grinned. "I like the sound of that, Mr. Fenton."

"Good, because if I have it my way, that sound will be around for a very, very long time," Danny said, his tone teasing, but the look in his eyes was extremely serious.

Sam's smile slowly faded, replaced by a look equally as serious. They stared into each other's faces for a long time, neither of them daring to break the silence. Then, almost like a magnetic pull, they leaned in until their lips met. The kiss itself was simple. Their lips were only touching softly, but to Danny and Sam, as cheesy as it will probably sound, they seemed to pour their very soul into that kiss.

Danny broke it, not having as great a lung capacity as Sam. He pulled back gently, opening his eyes very slowly. Sam's face was still tilted up, her eyes were still closed, and her lips were still slightly parted. All Danny could hear was the sound of her breathing, and the beat of their hearts.

"I love you too, Danny," Sam murmured, her large violet eyes bright and shining. Danny ran a hand through her silken hair, curving his hand softly so that it came to rest on her cheek. His face looked like it was illuminated by ten thousand suns.

"Tucker and Hannah are still watching us," he said in an undertone. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked up and saw a red beret and a mass of dark, curly hair.

"I hope they're enjoying themselves," Sam said, wrapping her arms around Danny's middle. He was so warm, and he smelled really good, like cologne and soap. She pressed her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"It doesn't sound bad for being half-dead," She informed him. Danny looked confused.

"What?"

"Hannah thinks you're half dead. Because you're half human, half ghost. She said that would mean that only half of you is alive." Sam explained.

Danny's brow furrowed. "Huh. Well, I guess she's right. Maybe I am half dead. Wait…no, no I don't think so." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer towards him. "You hear that?" He asked, gently pressing her ear to his chest again. She listened, but not as hard this time, for the steady fluttering of his hyperactive heart was loud in his ribcage. She closed her eyes, feeling herself fall in love with that sound.

"You know why it's like that?" Danny asked, tilting her face up to look at his.

"Why?" Sam asked, letting her breath flow over his mouth. She knew he liked it when she did that.

"Because when I'm with you, I'm really, truly alive, Sam." Danny kissed her on the tip of her nose, and she flicked the tip of his. He really did know how to charm a girl, didn't he?

"You promise you won't do that anymore?" Danny asked suddenly, after a minute of silence had passed.

"Do what?"

"Act like the way Hannah taught you. I mean, it's great and everything if your using it on me, but what if you see Chase Crawford walking down the street and-"

"Danny," Sam interrupted, a smirk growing on her face. "If Chase Crawford walked past me on the street, I probably wouldn't even notice. I only acted like that _for_ you, to get you to ask me out. And it worked, didn't it? You got insanely jealous."

"Yes, I did," Danny admitted. "But I'd be glad if I didn't see that side of you again. I liked the old Sam better, the one who's standing here in my arms and wearing a black dress with combat boots."

Sam smiled, and kissed him again. "I like her better too," she whispered, and Danny met her lips again, this time securely tightening his grip on her waist and lifting her off her feet.

Hannah and Tucker watched as the two turned intangible and disappeared through the roof. Hannah looked like she was shocked but was trying to hide it, and Tucker looked as if he would like to kiss her again.

"I hope they're not going where I think they're going," Hannah muttered, turning her gaze through the binoculars towards an open window. Tucker watched her and shrugged.

"If I know him, he's probably taking her to see the sunrise or something sappy like that," he replied, taking his beret off, it was making him sweaty.

"Well I guess that means our date's over, if it's sunrise already," Hannah said sadly. Tucker took her hand.

"We can go to the movies tonight if you like. You and me, Sam and Danny. It'll be my first double date." He said.

An impish grin spread over Hannah's heart-shaped face. "Really?" she asked, tapping her chin and looking at him tantalizingly.

"What are you going to do?" Tucker asked nervously.

"Oh, you'll see, lover boy." Hannah tugged on the sleeve of his tux. "Now, come on, let's get out of here before my dad walks in and freaks out over the humongous bill this is gonna give him."

"Good idea," Tucker agreed, then suddenly kissed her.

"What was that for?" she asked, surprised.

"Happy eighteenth!" Tucker cried, and then began sprinting down the stairs.

"Love you too! Hannah called after him, and began to follow.

As they exited the building, they failed to notice the couple floating above it, suspended in midair like marionettes, the vivid colors of dawn splashed around them like pastels. But Danny and Sam didn't notice them either; they were too preoccupied with the other's lips.

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Yay it's done! Just in time for high school, too, since I start September second. Tips for freshmen are welcomed for your favorite author, as are reviews from sexy kitties like you. Don't ask. Anyway, I'm glad I finally finished a story, I can never really seem to do that. I will shut up now so you can get on with your life. Bye!


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